Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1 accident near Hamer, Idaho, August 7, 1987
On August 7, 1987 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1, registered N8803R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hamer, Idaho (Hamer Strip airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1987 · about 3:30 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Hamer, Idaho · Hamer Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1
- Registration
- N8803R · registry record · serial BW-1-0024-81
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT HE BGN TAKING OFF ON A DOWNHILL STRIP (APRX 1/2 MI LONG) WITH A LEFT QUARTERING TAIL WIND. AS THE TAKEOFF ROLL PROGRESSED, HE REALIZED AN OVERRUN WAS DEVELOPING, SO HE BGN DUMPING HIS LOAD & ATTEMPTED TO LIFT- OFF. HE SAID THE ACFT SETTLED INTO TALL WEEDS AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RWY & NOSED OVER. AFTER THE ACDNT, THE PLT NOTED THAT THE WIND HAD INCREASED IN VELOCITY. THE DENSITY ALT WAS ABOUT 6500'.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,300 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 260 in the last 90 days; 7,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,657 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-M1B5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,640 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8803R on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-M1B5D 2 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 287 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA87LA159.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.